Korean roasted pork belly bossam recipe
Sharing is a common theme underlying all of Korean food. Bossam embodies this convivial sentiment - everyone sharing from the same plate, yet creating a small little bespoke parcel for their own consumption. I have many memories eating this dish while a student in New York. A large group of us would order it and literally pig out. The lettuce leaves and pickles cut the fat nicely and bring a welcomed freshness to the dish.
Tips
- Buy the best quality pork belly you can afford. Heritage breeds yield the best flavor.
- If your pork belly comes with the ribs on, slice them off and slather with the rub (make extra).
- Roast until cooked through and caramelized and you’ll have the tastiest ribs ever.
Ingredients
For the pickled radish side- 175 g white radish, mouli or daikon, julienned into long strips
- 4.5 tsp Korean apple vinegar or rice wine vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1.5 tsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru), adjusted to taste
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- 1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
- 1.5 kg pork belly, skin on, boneless
- 8 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 7 spring onions or scallions, roguhly chopped, roots on
- 75 g ginger, skin on, roughly sliced
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into eighths
- 2 tbsp Korean soy bean paste (dwengjang)
- 2 tbsp Korean soy bean paste (dwengjang)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1.5 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp Korean chilli paste (gochujang)
- 2 tbsp Korean soybean paste (dwengjang)
- 2 tsp grated onion
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp grated ginger
Details
- Cuisine: Korean
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 180 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- To make pickled radish to go on the side: in a medium sized bowl, mix all of the ingredients together and stir to coat the radish well. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.
- In a heavy pot, place the pork belly in and all of the ingredients for the cooking liquid and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until pork is fully cooked through, and very soft, for 2 hours.
- Remove the pork belly and place on a baking tray lined with foil to let cool. Discard the poaching liquid. Once cooled enough to handle, carefully cut off the skin of the pork and discard. Preheat oven to 180C.
- Mix all of the rub ingredients together into a smooth paste and smear generously all over the top of the skin-side of belly. Place the pork in the oven, rub side up, and roast the pork until the top is nicely caramelized, about 30 minutes.
- Additionally you can place the pork under the broiler briefly for a little more char. Meanwhile, make the bossam sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together well in a small bowl. Set aside. Once the pork belly is nicely caramelized on top, let rest for 15 minutes in a warm place.
- Then transfer the pork to a cutting board and thinly slice into two-bite pieces. Serve the pork with the rice, lettuce leaves, bossam sauce, and pickled radish.
- Try eating the pork in this way: Place a lettuce leaf in your hand. Scoop in a spoonful of rice, top with smear of sauce, piece of pork, and finish with some pickled radish. Wrap it all up together and take a bite. You’ll love it.
Judy Joo features in Korean Food Made Simple, which airs at 6.30pm 26th January on Food Network UK Freeview channel 41, Sky 248/250, Freesat 149/151, Virgin 287.
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